Let's find gold to go with Silva.

I like success stories. Especially, when the success comes unexpectedly. As in the case of Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Silva. I've written about him before. Silva was a high-paid flop with the Seattle Mariners the last two seasons. But the Cubs acquired him last winter in a trade for Cubs high-paid flop, outfielder Milton Bradley. Bradley continues to be a failure for his new team. But Silva. Well, behold. He won today, and improved his record to six wins, and no losses. And he has a sterling earned run average, giving up barely more than 3 runs for every nine innings pitched. Goes to show that baseball can be an unpredictable game. More proof of that is Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez. For the past several seasons he's been the Cubs most productive hitter. The reason he bats clean-up. He has a reputation as a clutch hitter and generally drives in more than 100 runs in a season. But for some unexplained reason, Ramirez has been in a season-long slump. He's batting .161, the lowest average for any regular player in the major leagues. And in his last game, he struck out four times. Of course, if I had my way, I'd bench Ramirez. And send him to a doctor for a physical and mental exam. If that shows nothing wrong, I'd ask Ramirez to let go of his gigantic ego, and accept assignment as the highest paid player in minor league baseball. With a promise of return to the Cubs if and when he finds his batting eye. And if he doesn't accept his new role, I'd trade him. Maybe the Cubs will get lucky again. And find a golden hitter to go with Silva. --Jim Broede